"Diet" Butter Brownies

I pulled SUCH a “Diet Coke with my triple bacon cheeseburger”* move this weekend.

*Although I prefer Diet Coke to the real thing. So I would order it even if the calories didn’t matter. But you get the idea.I really wanted to make brownies. (Not that that was a rare occurrence.) So I went to the store and bought some brownie mix. (Again, not unusual. Why bake from scratch when Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker were born to do it for you?)I thought I’d be somewhat ‘healthier’ and use applesauce in ‘em, as advised by the “low fat” recipe on the back.Despite my general aversion to making low-fat desserts, I was pleased with the resulting batter.And because now it was ‘better for me,’ I took that as a sign I could just eat MORE of it.**Let’s take a moment and shake our heads in communal “I’ve been there” acknowledgment.Of course, my ‘Diet Coke’ [better, yes, but still not actually good for you] were soon met by their (figurative) triple bacon cheeseburger.Because, yes, I took the low fat brownies and decided that I might as well swirl half a jar of homemade Butter Toffee Peanut Butter in them.I mean, wouldn’t YOU? Look at this stuff. Butter. Toffee. Peanut. Butter. Two butters for the price of one.

Whatever. Totally worth it.Who needs low fat anyway?

Especially when your brownies are made with love.[The Result of Borrowing Eggs, Roommate Kelsey (2011)]

Side note(s): the low-fat recipe was actually really good (the parts I could taste that didn’t get the peanut butter in ‘em)……and yes, I did plate the brownies just for photographing and then return them to the pan.

Cleaning a plate seemed a lot easier than cleaning the pan at the moment.

I'm always that girl who orders the Diet Coke and the burger! Oh fries, too. Like you, I prefer the taste of Diet Coke (not Coke Zero or the other diet flavors) – just Diet Coke or maybe Diet Ginger Ale.

I wrote a lovely comment the other day and did something that caused it to disappear and not post. I came back now that I have time to say that these look great. I used to make an applesauce spice cake (Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix)and used the canned vanilla frosting mixed with cinnamon. It was very moist and a family favorite. I have to make brownies next week for a fundraiser at work and may swirl in a little PB because it looks wonderful and because I can. Another smart idea from The Smart Kitchen!